Show V a I 1 A n 04 e 0 penn n by GURGE MARSH C THE HIE STORY SO fart FAR bound for or the cold old country six fix men lost their lives on the nottoway Nott away river red malone garrett finlay brother ol of one of 0 the sly and blaase halfbreed half bau breed guide tilde arrive at nottoway Notta Nott wiy away posing as i surveyors lurve yori when blaise had given the indians the details of the trip to mata garni Wa bistan said in Montag nals you are brave men but foolish to come back some night they will find you and you will die in your sleep what can three do against so many when sets up his medicine tent in the round of the moon finlay said we shall be there to listen you and I 1 when the thunder sounds in the skies and the plane comes from the north we shall still be there to see blaise interpreted to the listening indian so you have heard of the flying canoe that comes from the north this moon said the old man yes I 1 have heard why does it come never in the moon when the birds fly after the moult will isadore have at the post it is a great secret the coming of this canoe of the skies what do you think it brings demanded finlay how can I 1 tell when it comes only isadore and tete blanche go to it in a canoe how many men come in this plane once we hid on the island and watched one man comes and in three sleeps one man goes away south reds puzzled eyes met Fin lays well the only way well solve th this s mystery will be to board her when she shows up said garry carry APiER CH XV it was soon evident that tha t the big lake more than sixty miles in length with its deep bays and countless islands was being searched from the mouth of the waswanipi river to the quiet water tor for the men who menaced Is adores future almost daily as they lay hidden in the willows and alders of some island or point of shore the man on guard sweeping the lake with his binoculars would pick up a canoe hunting for signs 0 of f the camp of the men isadore and tete blanche had sworn should never see august daring no longer to remain within reach of the post with the chance othear ol 01 hearing from lise finlay had left a letter under the quartz rock on the beach and moved up the lake by the time they returned from the medicine making it if they did return blondell would be at isa dores dares brooding over the situation of the desperate girl finlay drove his nails deep into his calloused hands but he was helpless one day in early august they were camped in a maze of islands at the mouth of a deep bay garry carry and red were asleep in a stand of young spruce with flame beside them while blaise kept watch on the shore by day they always slept for they knew if their camp was located any attack would come on a black night when it would be easy to approach by water for hours through the long after noon Bl aises alses binoculars had covered the lake beyond the islands but had picked up no telltale tell tale flash of a dripping paddle at last he muttered 1 I go back and see wat vat dat lazy red doin he got too moch sleep already crawling back from the thick shore scrub blaise found his friends snoring peacefully under their cheesecloth canopy but the dog was missing by gar dat dog chew dat leash and go somewhere and navaro make a sound now why he do dat hi he is smart chien dat flame he smell or hear so meting for ditre sure blaise reached for his lee enfield which stood against a tree glanced at the 45 he carried carrie d in a belt holster and left his hii two sleeping friends circling the camp he managed to pick up the dois dogs trail lose it and find it again at last he came out on a mud beach over it the unmistakable tracks of flame led straight to the water two hundred yards away lay another island heavily timbered with scrub spruce birch and poplar concealed inside the shore brush liasse liaise stopped to consider the situation dat dog swim straight to dat island he ruminated rumina ted de air it move from dere to here and lie he smell so meting for sure the airedale had followed no game into the water for the beach was unmarked except by flames feet something had led him to chew the rawhide raw hide thong and investigate without warning the sleeping men therefore reasoned blaise the dog could not have been excited or thought them in danger if he had caught the wind of Montag nals on the other island he would have waked the sleeping men at once for the al airedale could wind an indian at a half mile now what was the dog doing over r there all this tinie time to keep so quiet the problem was too deep for Q blake to solve offhand and he was worried something strange had happened installment FIFTEEN to investigate murder li Is suspected it li Is thought that hit isidore isadore rich for ur man has ba made a gold strike and KIM to keep prospectors out on the way to the ali Hud budson hudsons sons day bay post they visit isadore in his hl palatial home meet his bli wife ue and something so unusual that it called for action it might involve their lives blaise brassard determined to investigate vesti gate retracing his steps he shouldered the peterboro Peter boro hidden near the camp and made his way through the scrub to the mud beach then with his rifle across a knee he paddled to the island and found the tracks of the al on a narrow beach caching the canoe in the brush blaise started to follow the dogs trail into the heart of the timber he had traveled less than a hundred yards from the shore when he suddenly squatted while his narrowed eyes roved the thick forest growth about him lifting his head his nostrils caught a pungent odor in the air then his gaze fell to the birch shoots in front of him reaching blaise drew the shoots toward him and sniffed at the green scalloped edged leaves which glistened as if smeared with oil beaver castora ca he muttered 1 I bin amellin sm ellin dis all de way from de shore dat wat vat make flame swim to dis islan beaver castor beaver castora ca he repeated rubbing his square chin his swart face wrinkled in thought no beaver on dis is lanI slowly the slits of eyes widened as a solution of the m mystery began to crystallize in Bl alses active brain he moved on through the undergrowth and shortly found more birch shoots with leaves smeared with the pungent W blaise brassard determined to investigate oil from the glands of the beaver widely used by indians as a game lure at trap sets and carrying an irresistible appeal to the furred and shaggy owners of fang and claw idey dey are here on dis aslant Islan 1 he murmured dey use dis castor to draw de dog bovair here and kill him den dey come tonight he get dere wind wen he come dey smear de beaver castor on dem self all poor flame smell is de beaver blaise brissard brassard was doing some hard thinking lured by the scent scattered over the low sprouts flame was already somewhere in the he center of the island and probably ly dead he would not give him up until he went in there and had alook a look silently following the trail of beaver castor smeared at intervals on low bush like a fox stalking wood m mice f blaise blaase worked through the timber into the heart of the island at length the timber began to thin out and blaise reached the edge of a natural clearing what had become of the dog hidden in a clump of seedling spruce which commanded a view of the opening blaise waited where were the Montag nals who had enticed the dog to his doom blaise had waited for some minutes in his hide bide when he chanced to glance at the sky and notice an eagle circling high abo above the break in the timber wat dat fallar see down here blaise muttered he got his eye on so meting Is it de dog wings spread the eagle drifted down in wide spirals while the man in the spruce watched his heart sore with knowledge of what the birds movements meant so it was aloir a voir to poor flamel the eagle was making his last circle preparatory to landing in the spag num when with a thin whistle of fear he wheeled in the air and flapped away over the spruce tops ah hahl the cocked lee ennerd covered the center of the clearing scare dat eagle from landin out dere I 1 wat vat was it convinced that flame lay stiff in death out there in that moss crushed in a trap or deadfall blaise started to circle the clearing shortly as he crawled he cane cr me upon the unmistakable trail of the dog leading into the moss and moccasin tracks in soft soil leading away from it use lite Is isadore adores answering Anwer ln an appeal from ue lise finlay faly Is I 1 A ambushed M it develop develops deve lopi that they are mounted pouce police oin fincers cers when chief Wib Wa litan bistan atles to help belp the disguised blount its Is if deserted by his tribe reckless with wrath and grief for his friend brassard rose rosa and walked boldly from cover into the patches of moss and labrador tea halfway across the open space he found what he had dreaded under the heavy drop log of a deadfall dead fall tall lay flames limp body lured by the irresistible scent of the beaver castor the gallant aire dale had followed its trail directly to the deadfall dead fall with a groan blaise dropped to his knees beside the dog he had loved from flamel he muttered wy you do dis flame you poor chiena chiani blaise he forget you he 11 brassard was lifting the drop log of the deadfall dead fall easing the dogs bod body Y when he budde suddenly ni y c caught a aught h his is breath by gar I 1 dat dog is warm yet I 1 his swiftly groping fingers sought the dogs breast ribs and ex elored his neck and spine dat log not break his neck or back I 1 he gasped in his joy and his heart it beat I 1 he still livel live de dro drop p log crack him on de head by gar and knock him Blai Bl aises sels ear pressed against the shaggy ribs for i surel for sure flamel dat old heart t she go goedl brassards Brass ards fingers touched the he dogs skull dere it is I 1 right on de cheadl big lump derel it hit you on head not de back or neck and de tick moss save eave you by garl because the builders of the tr trap ap of logs had been careless in removing the thick carpet of moss on which it stood the dogs neck and back had not been cr crushed b by y the release of the drop log when he reached the bait of moose meat smeared with beaver castor instead he had taken a glancing blow on the skull which had knocked him out reaching blaise took the inert body of his friend into his 1 arms and laid it on a soft bed of moss then the overjoyed man rubbed and kneaded the circulation bac back kinto linto the iron frame at length the dogs legs twitched and his bloodshot blood shot eyes met those of the man for an instant of recognition the stub of a tall tail lifted and fell shortly the airedale struggled to get to his feet butsack but sank back on the moss where blaines Bl blaise aises S hand restrained him quiet take your tun boyl by gar it is good bad crack you take on behead de head blaise stay wid you right here antil you not so dizzy eh after a space flame again insisted on getting to his feet blaise watched the do dog slowly regain his equilibrium S shaking haking his head in an aftem attempt pt to c lear clear the mists from his brain at last flames strength began to return for he no longer reeled as he walked about brassard whose roving eyes covered the edges of the clearing when flame alime began interest in the smeared bait of the trap and his nostrils qu quivered everid as they caught the seductive aroma blaise felt that the dog could make the trip back to the canoe he picked up his rifle and followed by flame left the clearing As they entered the thick timber there was a warning rumble from flame he leaped past the surprised brassard fell recovered and roared his al airedale challenge as two bodies catapulted into blaines Bl aises back hurling him headlong to the ground As he fell and instinctively rolled from the weight of the men on his back the halfbreed tore the 45 from its holster A hand grip gripping a knife drove past his neck and buried its blade in the leaves blaise caught the indians wrist and with a wrench had the writhing body beneath him clubbing the 45 he bludgeoned the into unconsciousness leaping to his feet he saw the injured airedale drive at the second indians legs dodge a knife thrust as the indian backed away then leap again as the Montag nals r reached forthe rifle which had slipped from brassards Brass ards hands when he was I 1 struck from the rear indian and alre airedale almedaie daie ro rolled aled over and over in the brush the dog slashing with his long fangs as the other tried to use his knife with a leap blaise reached them and the clubbed 45 struck again holding the te h mad bened dog oil off the stunned indian blaise swiftly bound his hands and feet with strips strip at his shirt and repeated the operation on his companion lying unconscious a few yards away A quick examination proved that the raging flame had escaped with a surface cut picking 1110 P his rifle blaise and the dog star started roc ne the canoe you taink I 1 am brazee not to shoot dose fallar I 1 flame the man said to the dog at his side if I 1 shoot dat old 45 we have free four debbe ten twenty on our heel before we reach de cano dere are plenty across de islan wait in for night you at and id blaise now go wake up red and garry carry and start up lip de lake tout suite wen dark I 1 comes crossing the strait with dog blaise blaase carried the canoe to the camp and waked his sleeping tends wal you fallar s sleep leep pretty hard wile vile flame and me make a little for TO OK BE |